Surprising Turn
by marchingislife
Summary: Sherlock and John are returning to 221B after chasing a criminal through the streets of London when a dark figure appears. Who could it be? Sorry if the characters seem OOC. My first fic ever! Rated for past drug use. I own none of the characters except the "dark figure." One-shot!


Sherlock and John were breathless as they came back from chasing a criminal through the streets of London. They were laughing until Sherlock reached for the doorknob of 221B Baker Street and noticed the lock had been picked. He cautiously opened the door and headed up the stairs, grateful Mrs. Hudson had left to stay with her sister for the weekend. John silently and closely followed his friend up the stairs to their flat, sensing the sudden mood change.

Sherlock observed his surroundings until he got to the landing where he slowly opened the door to their flat. Suddenly, a dark shape flew at Sherlock and two voices called out "Sherlock!" simultaneously. John was surprised when the dark shape turned out to be a young girl, and was even more surprised when the girl wrapped her arms around Sherlock's neck. He thought he was going to fall over in shock when Sherlock wrapped his arms around the girl, returning the embrace.

"Liza, what are you doing here?" Sherlock rumbled when the girl, Liza, finally released him.

"Since I turned eighteen last week, Mom and Dad agreed to let me come visit you over Christmas break!" She exclaimed, bouncing on the spot.

John finally got over his shock and chose this time to interject, "Sherlock, who is this?"

"I thought that was obvious John, this is my cousin from America, Liza," Sherlock explained with his signature smirk.

John blinked in surprise as Liza exclaimed, "Oh! Where are my manners? I know you of course, Sherlock writes to me about you _all_ the time," at this Sherlock shot his younger cousin a glare, "you're John Watson. My name is Elizabeth Holmes, but everyone calls me 'Liza.' My dad, Sherlock's dad's brother, visited America after university because he had always wanted to see it. He met my mom and fell in love with her, giving him enough reason to make the move permanent. We used to visit a lot, but since I'm graduating high school soon, we haven't had a lot of time to visit together lately. As a birthday gift, my parents paid for me to visit London and, by extension, Sherlock and Mycroft."

John stood with his mouth ajar staring at the girl, whom he noticed looked _a lot_ like Sherlock, after her speech before he said, "Does she read minds? Or does she do your deduction thing too?" _How did she answer every question I might have had?_

Liza smirked, reminiscent of Sherlock's own, and said, "Sherlock and Mycroft were always very protective of me because I'm the real baby of the family, so they taught me how to deduce so I wouldn't get hurt. It comes in handy at school."

"Liza, don't intimidate John too much. He already puts up with me, a miracle in and of itself," Sherlock reprimanded.

Liza smiled a relaxing smile at John. "Don't worry, exposure to 'idiots' in America has made me not as crazy as my cousins," she said with a wink.

Sherlock growled in disapproval of her wording, but John smiled and seemed to collect himself. "Would you like some tea?" he inquired.

"Do you have hot chocolate? I don't drink a lot of tea and I can't stand coffee."

"Yeah, ok. I'll try to remember that. Sherlock? Would you mind helping me in the kitchen?" John gave the genius a pointed look.

"Why, John? You can reach everything you need to make tea and hot chocolate."

John gave him another pointed look, tried to discreetly look at Liza (which she noticed and had to suppress a giggle), and back at Sherlock. Sherlock's face took on an expression of recognition and excused himself to the kitchen.

"Where the heck did this come from?" John whispered once they were alone in the kitchen.

"It's her eighteenth birthday gift John, do keep up."

"I _heard_ that, but did you know she was coming? And why the heck is she so much like you but at the same time the exact opposite?"

"No, I did not know she was coming, and what do you mean by that comparison?"

"I _mean_, she's arrogant, knows how to pick a lock, can deduce about as well as you can, she even looks like you! However, there's something different about her. She seems to understand social situations."

Sherlock looked at his shoes before saying, "Liza, you're going to have to come back tomorrow. I'm afraid John and I cannot entertain you tonight."

Liza came through the kitchen door, having heard their conversation. "Why can't you tell John all these things? It's all because I _am_ related to you, but I also have a bit of my mom in me, so it all balances out. Right?" She finally seemed uncertain.

Sherlock took an unsteady breath and pleaded with the girl, "Please, Liza, go stay with Mycroft for the night. You can come back tomorrow. I'll text you when we're ready to go out and do something with you, whatever you want for your birthday."

John was surprised at how Sherlock was behaving, and apparently so was Liza because she nodded mutely and left the flat.

Sherlock waited to make sure she had left and just as John was about to open his mouth to question him, he spoke, "John you might want to make yourself a cuppa and make yourself comfortable. I have a long story to tell you."

John gave his best friend a strange look but started to bustle about the kitchen anyway.

Sherlock went to his room, robotically put on pajama trousers, a grey t-shirt, and his blue dressing gown before returning to the living room and lying on the couch in his "thinking" position. He waited on John to finish shifting in his chair after he sat down before Sherlock sat up and looked at his friend.

Taking a deep breath, Sherlock began, "Liza's parents made me promise something to them when she was born. They made me promise I would tell her something very important when she turned eighteen. I did know she was coming to visit, I had just hoped my uncle and aunt wouldn't send her or had changed their minds. I'm sure you've noticed that she is still quite young, but my parents, and by extension her parents, are older than average parents of that age. That is because my aunt and uncle in America are not her parents. I am her father and her mother died in childbirth," Sherlock paused here to let John wrap his head around this revelation. It was several, long, silent minutes before John asked, "How?"

"As I'm sure you recall I used to have a drug habit. One night when I was nineteen I was high, as was another girl about my age. Somewhere in our addled minds we decided it would be a good idea to have intercourse. It's all a big blur, but I remember soon after that Mycroft sent me to rehab to get clean. Once I left rehab four months later, that same girl found me again. She had, apparently, gotten clean as well. She was also almost five months pregnant with my child. When her parents found out, they disowned her and kicked her out. She had been living on the streets ever since. I was unsure of what to do, so I called Mycroft, as much as I hated doing it, and waited with her there for him to come around.

"He was furious with me of course, and we immediately began planning for the birth. It was too late for her to have an abortion, even if she or I had agreed to it, but we protested vehemently. We had planned for the girl and me to live together so we could care for the child. We could get married if we so wished, but Mycroft left that up to us. We decided we would start out living together and go from there. Mycroft made all the necessary preparations and even rented us a cheap flat. Nine months later, the girl gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Liza, but died in the process.

"Suddenly, at now twenty, I was a single, recovering-addict father with no clue how to raise a child despite our months of planning. Mycroft contacted our aunt and uncle in America, who had been married and unable to have children for three years at that time, and asked if they would take care of Liza. They immediately agreed, but made me promise I would tell her who I really was to her and let her decide where she wanted to live when she turned eighteen. Since then, they've visited and let me see her grow up and be part of her life. As she mentioned while she was here, I was very protective of her. John, I've had eighteen years to prepare for this day, but I still have no idea how to tell my baby who her father is."

John looked up sharply at the brokenness in Sherlock's voice. It was so unlike him to show any emotion, but he was nearing a panic attack because of his daughter. "I'll be there to help you, Sherlock. You can count on that. What do you want me to do?"

Sherlock smiled gratefully, John was the only person outside his family to ever see that smile, and said, "I need you to help me plan tomorrow."

_Come to 221B Baker Street as soon as you can. We'll celebrate your birthday today, but I have to give you your gift first. –SH_

Mycroft watched Liza read the text at the breakfast table, knowing what would soon transpire. He silently wished his little brother luck and got ready to leave for work.

When Liza entered the flat, Sherlock took a while to study his daughter. John was right when he said she looked a lot like him. She had her mother's short height, deep brown eyes, and nose, but she had Sherlock's metabolism, curly dark brown hair that flowed down her back, and natural grace. It was made even more evident because she was wearing a deep purple shirt, loose around her torso and tight around her arms, that was similar to Sherlock's favorite silk shirt. She wore a bow that matched the shirt and a pair of dark jeans with comfortable shoes.

Sherlock broke from his reverie and hugged Liza. "I'm sorry for last night. I'll explain today. But first, your birthday present!"

Liza nodded and sat on the sofa, waiting for Sherlock to return from his room. "Where's John?" she inquired when Sherlock emerged.

"He said he had some errands to run at Tesco and would be back before we left for whatever you want to do today," Sherlock replied handing her the gift.

Liza took the medium sized box in her hands and began to shake it when Sherlock said, "No deducing your gift." Liza pouted a little, causing Sherlock to smirk, and tore at the wrapping paper. Inside was a cardboard box, and when she opened the lid she found several books she had been wanting. "Oh, thank you Sherlock! I've been wanting to read these!" She began to pull the books out and look at the titles when she found a manila envelope on the bottom. She raised her eyes at Sherlock as she pulled it out of the box. She opened the envelope and exclaimed, "Oh, it's my birth certificate! I was wondering where Mom and Dad put…" she trailed off as she read the names of the parents.

She snapped her head up to look at Sherlock and whispered, "Why didn't you tell me? Where is my real mother? Why did you give me away?" Sherlock winced at the implications that came with the last question and decided to answer her quickly to dispel any idea that Sherlock never wanted her.

"I didn't tell you because I wanted you to grow up happy; you didn't need me as a father; I had no idea what I was doing with my life. You deserved to be raised by someone who could care for you properly. Your real mother passed away giving birth to you," Sherlock proceeded to tell her the story of how she was born.

When he finished Liza was quiet for a while then said in a hushed tone, "So I was a mistake?"

"You're the best mistake I ever made," Sherlock hurried to say. "I regret a lot of things in my life, but I don't regret you. You are intelligent, beautiful, and kind. I never wanted to give you up, it pained me to do it, but I knew that I was unable to care for a child when I couldn't take proper care of myself."

Liza seemed to accept this because she relaxed. "Did you tell John last night after I left?"

"Yes, I needed help telling you because social situations aren't really my area. I needed to do this right. I was not going to make you hate me because of how I told you. If you wanted to hate me because I kept it a secret, I wasn't going to stop you, but I couldn't bear it if you hated me for the delivery of the facts."

Liza smiled a small smile. "It's so weird to think of you as my dad. Eighteen years of being my cousin and suddenly you're my dad. I'm going to need a bit to wrap my head around this."

"Of course you are. I'll make you some hot chocolate and you can think while we wait for John to return. Was there anything you wanted to do today?"

"I was hoping that we could go to the zoo."

"To the zoo it is!" Sherlock exclaimed with a flourish as he got up.

Liza giggled and settled into the sofa to think. She continued to think and wander through her Mind Library (having learned the technique from Sher… her dad) when Sherlock handed her the mug of hot chocolate. She was still thinking when Sherlock heard John on the stairs and he went out to help him.

"Did you tell her?" John inquired as they put away the groceries.

"Of course I told her. She's trying to get used to the idea as we speak. She wants to go to the zoo with us, so I guess she doesn't hate me."

"That's good. Do you still want me to go, or do you want to spend time with each other? You've got a lot of father-daughter memories to catch up on."

Sherlock gave John an incredulous look. "I'd be lost without my blogger, John. You know that. Of course I want you there with us. Liza loves you already if what she writes about you is any indication."

"Yeah, what do you two mean by that? Last night she said you write about me all the time. Do you two correspond by emails or something?"

"Yes, we email each other. It is the fastest and cheapest way to communicate with my American daughter. I write about you all the time because you're my best friend and we live together. Also, she became very interested in you after she read your blog."

"Alright. So, we're going to the zoo today?"

"It would seem so, just as soon as Liza finishes thinking."

"Did you ask her where she wants to live yet?"

"No, I don't want to overwhelm her. I'll ask her either tonight or tomorrow."

By now the two friends had put away all the groceries and turned to lean against the counter together to watch Liza. Suddenly, as the two were sharing a comfortable silence, Liza jumped off the couch and shouted, "Come on Dad, John! Why are we still hanging around here when we could be at the zoo?" as she grabbed her coat and dashed out the door.

Sherlock smirked, and John shook his head. "She is definitely yours," he muttered as they followed her.

The three spent a wonderful day at the zoo despite the cold and snow that had begun to fall. Liza loved animals and gushed over them all. Sherlock would never admit it, but he had taken a liking to the otters as he watched them swim in their habitat. John was quite taken with the tigers and the little hedgehog they had in the petting zoo part. Liza giggled and Sherlock smirked while John vehemently protested him and Sherlock being a couple again to some passerby. Overall, it was a good day for everyone. Liza surprised Sherlock when she grabbed his hand as they were leaving the zoo to go to Angelo's. She had held his hand before when she was younger and still under the impression that they were cousins, but when she had turned thirteen she had stopped. She just continued on as if it was normal for an eighteen-year-old to hold her dad's hand, so Sherlock did too.

When they reached Angelo's, the owner greeted them loudly and asked, "Who's this pretty young girl?"

Sherlock, not missing a beat, answered, "Angelo, this is my daughter Liza."

"Your daughter! Sherlock, why didn't you tell me? This man got me off a murder charge," he told Liza.

Liza smiled and told him, "That doesn't surprise me."

Angelo laughed heartily and led them to Sherlock and John's usual table. "Order anything you like, free of charge, of course," came the normal instruction before the owner bustled off to the kitchen.

Soon after they were seated, a waiter came to take their order. Once they had, Sherlock turned to Liza. "There was one more thing my aunt and uncle, the people you believed to be your parents, made me promise them when they took you in. They made me promise I would give you the option of who you lived with – them or myself.

"Nothing would have to change if you lived with them, but I would have to find somewhere for you to stay nearby if you wished to stay in London with me. You should also know that because of my work everyone connected to me can be put in danger, and I may have to run out at any time for a case. You already know all my nuances that may be considered annoying because you grew up around me. I'll give you however long you want to think this decision over," he finished as their food was brought to their table.

They ate in silence for a while allowing Liza to think. John finally started conversing with Sherlock about the case they had just finished and about another he read about in the paper that may be coming their way soon. When they were finished with their meal, Sherlock hailed them a cab and they returned to 221B.

Liza had been silent throughout dinner and the cab ride home. As they ascended the stairs, Sherlock called back to her, "Would you like to stay here tonight? I'm afraid the only thing available is the sofa. That will change if you decide to move in, but for now that's the only option. If you don't care for the sofa, I'm sure Mycroft would enjoy having you again."

Hearing the hesitancy in her father's voice in the last sentence, Liza looked at her dad's back and said, "I'll stay here. Forever."

Sherlock whirled around to face his daughter. "Are you sure?"

Again, the hesitancy. Liza nodded and smiled as her dad came back down the stairs toward her to wrap her in a hug.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"I love you, Dad," she replied.

John smiled as he watched the two. He knew Sherlock and Liza would have a little trouble adjusting to their new roles to each other, but he also knew that they would be ok.


End file.
